It’s the Holiday Season 2022, and I’m in Target walking by the Christmas decor when I see the Favorite Day gingerbread house kits. I have seen them for many years, many many holiday seasons. In years past I had even stopped, picked one up, and read the instructions before eventually deciding that it was too much hassle and not worth the effort, placing the kit back on the shelf.
But that year, I did not do that. I picked up the Christmas Mini Village Gingerbread House Kit, which included four adorable little houses, put it in my cart, and took them home with me. This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made during the holiday season, resulting in hilarious memories for the past three years.
The Hubs, the Buddy Man, and I generally spend Christmas with my parents. I thought instead of us staring at each other after the excitement of the giving of gifts had passed and just waiting for dinner and the annual NBA game, we could put together the little village. My mom was up for it; Buddy Man, of course, was all in. My dad said he would be the judge of the best house, which was taking my intended spirit of the activity in a different direction, but I decided to go with it.
This being our first time building gingerbread houses, we ran into some challenges. The first rule of building a gingerbread house? Have plenty of icing on hand. My mom couldn’t get the caulking (er, icing) to stick. We ran out and my mom’s gingerbread house never really got off the ground. By the time the judging took place, it was a pancake of gingerbread, icing, and candy. She took a lot of good-natured ribbing about it. Photos were taken and sent off to my sister and her family. It was hilarious! What a memory!
The next Christmas, we were at my parents’ house again, along with my sister and her family. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew wanted in on the fun and so armed with two kits (eight houses total) and extra icing, I felt we were well-equipped to get every house standing, at the very least. My brother-in-law is in construction and as such, understood the importance of the icing and promptly hogged most of it. My mom did get some but over-compensated and again, her house again wasn’t standing at the time of the judging. My brother-in-law, no surprise, came out on top.
Last year, Christmas was at my sister’s and included my family, my parents, and my brother-in-law’s parents, sibling, aunt, and a couple of cousins. The request was made again for me to purchase gingerbread houses. Armed with more than enough icing this time, nine people participated. As the previous year’s winner, my brother-in-law was deemed ineligible to participate. When I got overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the house, I slipped away to his office to have a chat with him and his father. This turned out to be a good thing because we were then asked to judge them without knowing who had built what. It was a shock to me when Buddy Man, the youngest builder there, came in third!
Why am I talking about gingerbread houses with you? Well, I have been thinking a lot about the idea of finding joy in my world. To be sure, this is a concept that I have been contemplating since earth-shattering 2020 but with the social climate, the political climate, and the actual climate, this idea of finding joy is something I have been paying particular attention to this past year. I have been astonished to reconfirm that the easiest—and somehow most difficult—way is to follow my own inclinations and do the things that I have always wanted to do. That simple act of finally purchasing that mini village gingerbread house kit in 2022, has facilitated three years of Christmas fun and memories that we will laugh and talk about for years to come.
What small things do you do to experience joy during the holidays? What small thing have you not done that you could do to enjoy this time of year? Please share in the comments.
P.S. These gingerbread house kits are available all over the place: Trader Joe’s has one every year, and World Market reliably has a handful of adorable options.
P.P.S. My secret to beautifully wrapped presents, 100 stocking stuffers that will actually be appreciated, and A literary tradition like no other.
About the author
Shannan Malone is our MMD Cohost and What Should I Read Next? Patreon Community Manager. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.
34 comments
This was such a lovely story to read first thing this morning ❤️Merry Christmas!
Glad to hear it, Lynda.
Shannan you tell the best stories. I hope one day you publish a memoir or essay collection.
Thanks, Janice. I appreciate it and I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I came to comments to say the very same thing!
Two years ago I started the now annual Winter Solstice Salon at my apartment – people sing, read poetry, tell jokes, etc. I wanted to for a long time, thought it would be too hard, my place too small, etc. It’s great.
Also/ bought a loose leaf tea advent calendar for me and only me.
This is lovely, Rebecca. Thank you for commenting.
Shannan, thank you for sharing this story!! Enjoying it as I have my morning coffee and my slow read. 😊
Glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve typed a response twice and it disappears! Trying one more time.
Lots of good memories from gingerbread houses. I especially like your Finding Joy idea. I think the ultimate joy comes from helping others, people and animals. There is so much need out there
I love this story, Shannan! One small thing I do every Christmas to bring joy to our music is to haul out my 20-year-old iPod and speaker, which is the size of a bread box. I have all of the Christmas CDs from the beginning of our marriage loaded onto this iPod, and it’s fun to listen to the music we first loved years ago.
Great story Shannan. I love a shared tradition and how it evolves through the years. They never give you enough frosting in those kits, so I found a good frosting recipe and made my own. It’s a big improvement in ease of construction.
They never do. I have to buy extra. Thank you for sharing.
Shannan,
This was a great article about a wonderful idea that became a family tradition! Thank you for sharing your annual contest. I have also looked at those gingerbread house kits but been unsure. Do you make or buy the extra icing? We need more details please!
Royal icing is best for gingerbread houses in my experience. You can make it with powdered egg whites, if you don’t want to use raw eggs. It’s not very good to eat, but it hardens nicely to hold things together.
Laura, I do buy extra icing. Thanks for asking.
Thank you!
I love this story! And this activity! I’m going to try this with my multi-generational family this season.
Thanks for sharing this, Shannan. I love the idea of going ahead and trying the thing you’ve considered over and over but haven’t done. As a chronic over-thinker, I tend to talk myself out of things. This is a great prompt to go ahead and give it a whirl. And if it doesn’t work, that’s ok. I’m becoming more comfortable with things tried and set aside, regarding it as good information rather than a fail.
“Things tried and set aside.” I like that. Thanks for sharing, Lois.
What a great perspective! Giving permission and giving grace…thank you!
We have a similar tradition with teams competing. We “cheat” and assemble houses with a hot glue gun!
Loved this, thanks for sharing! I usually make these for my own pleasure, but you have given me a great idea for spending some time with my ten year old granddaughter while they are visiting for the holidays!
I hope she loves it. Thanks for sharing, Jean.
Whenever I see that a post has been authored by Shannon, I can’t click over fast enough. Another delightful read with beautiful insights. Often, it’s not the grandest plan, but the simplest one that has the most meaning or brings the most pleasure.
I am waiting for you to write a book of essays or a memoir. I will be first in line to purchase it!
Thanks Denise. I appreciate you.
We’ve done gingerbread houses for years, but haven’t had a competition! The grandchildren all the way into their twenties still love to do it with us. One year we used hot glue, the adults loved it but the teenagers declared it cheating. Thanks for sharing the story!
Years and years ago, when my first two nieces were really little, I started a tradition where any niece or nephew who was potty trained got to come to my house in mid-late November to decorate my house for Christmas. I buy them matching pajamas and give them to them early so they get lots of wear out of them, and they all come dressed in PJs. We take a photo, eat pizza or chicken nuggets, and then we decorate my house and write letters to Santa together. My oldest niece is now twelve, the youngest nephew at 3 got to stay for the party and not just the photo for the first time this year. And in the spirit of searching for joy, since I had an ovarian tumor and had to have both ovaries and my uterus removed a few years back meaning I’ll never have a kiddo of my own, I am so thankful for this silly 3-4 hour party I throw every year, because it means I still get to have special traditions with the kids I love most in the world, and that’s a balm to my soul
Love this, Lisa. Enjoy!
Oh, Lisa, I love your beautiful story, too. What a blessing for you all.
Husband just got diagnosed with colon cancer. Your story reminded me to ensure I center joy in our lives as we face this blip. Thank you!
What a great idea. Love the way the contest has evolved. Cheez-it’s has a cute house this year. Happy Holidays! Laura
Happy Holidays, Laura!
We did gingerbread decorating on Thanksgiving for years so my kids and nieces and nephews could use them as Christmas decorations. It was chaos in the best way! I purchased loads of extra candy and encouraged others to bring some too. And, we decided early on to have my kids hot glue the houses together the day before so it was really all about the decorating with no tears (ask me how we learned that one…). They are all grown now, but I wonder sometimes if we should do it again just for fun as young adults!
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